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The Zohar · Bereshit

זוהר, בראשית מ״גZohar, Bereshit 43

Section 43 of 102 in Bereshit — 5 segments

Segment 1א׳

וַיְצַו יְיָ אֱלֹהִים. הָא תָּנִינָן לֵית צַו אֶלָּא עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. יְיָ זוֹ בִּרְכַּת הַשֵּׁם. אֱלֹהִים אֵלּוּ הַדַּיָּינִין. עַל הָאָדָם זוֹ שְׁפִיכֻת דָּמִים. לֵאמֹר זוֹ גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת. מִכָּל עֵץ הַגָּן וְלֹא גֶּזֶל. אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל וְלא אֵבָר מִן הַחַי וְשַׁפִּיר.

AND THE LORD GOD COMMANDED. According to our teachers, the word “commanded” here contains a prohibition of idolatry; “the Lord”, of blasphemy; “God”, of the perversion of justice; “the man”, of murder; “saying”, of adultery and incest; “from all the trees of the garden”, of robbery; “thou mayest freely eat”, of eating flesh from a living animal; and so we agree.

Segment 2ב׳

מִכָּל עֵץ הַגָּן אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל. דְּשַׁרְיָא לֵיהּ כֹּלָּא דְּלֵיכְלִינְהוּ בְּיִחוּדָא. דְהָא חֲזִינָן אַבְרָהָם אָכַל, יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב וְכָל נְּבִיאִים אֲכָלוּ וְחָיוּ. אֲבָל אִילָנָא דָּא אִילָנָא דְמוֹתָא אִיהוּ (כמה דכתיב ומעץ הדעת טוב ורע לא תאכל ממנו) מָאן דְּנָטִיל לֵיהּ בִּלְחוֹדוֹי מַיֵית. דְּהָא סַמָּא דְמוֹתָא נָטִיל (בגין דאיהו מפריש ליה מן חיין). וְעַל דָּא כִּי בְיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת בְּגִין דְּקָא פָּרִישׁ נְטִיעִין.

OF ALL THE TREES OF THE GARDEN THOU SHALT SURELY EAT. This means that he was permitted to eat them all together, for, as we see, Abraham ate, Isaac and Jacob ate, and all the prophets ate and remained alive. This tree, however, was a tree of death, in so far that he who ate-it by itself was bound to die, since he took poison. Hence it says, IN THE DAY THAT THOU EATEST THEREOF THOU SHALT SURELY DIE, because thereby he would be separating the shoots.

Segment 3ג׳

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה שַׁאִיל לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, הָא דִּתְנִינָן אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן מוֹשֵׁךְ בְּעָרְלָתוֹ הֲוָה, מַאי הוּא. אָמַר לֵיהּ דְּפָּרִישׁ בְּרִית קֹדֶשׁ מֵאַתְרֵיהּ וּמֵחוּלָקֵיהּ. וַדַּאי מוֹשֵׁךְ בָּעָרְלָה הֲוָה. וְשָׁבַק בְּרִית קֹדֶשׁ וְדָבַק בָּעָרְלָה וְאִתְפַּתֶּה בְּמִלָּה דְנָחָשׁ.

R. Judah asked R. Simeon: ‘What is the meaning of the dictum of the teachers, that Adam drew his foreskin? ‘He said: ‘It means that he removed the holy covenant from its place; he abandoned the holy covenant and clung to the orlah and allowed himself to be seduced by the serpent.’

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: The Zohar — Soncino Press, London 1933 (public domain)